Witch with a Writer's Heart

An account of creative magic, mayhem, and only sometimes unhinged. They/Them, Artist/Writer/Witch/Cosplayer/TTRPG Gamer

[employed-sparkledog]

I found a new favorite Discworld Quote! (from Soul Music by Terry Prachett)

[ehemlock]

One of my older oil paintings, but one of my favourites. It's been in a few shows, and won awards, but the story behind it and the relevance always play out time and time again no matter how many years have passed. We are led by our hearts, and while we hold the best of intentions, the hands of another can pluck at those heartstrings and tug so violently. Then amidst the knots of confusion, the tangle of another's manipulation, we find that we are no longer dancing the way we wanted, doing what we wished to do for the sake of our own heart's contentment. We are forced to bend to the melody no longer meant for us, and we find ourselves at the whims of a new dance. The Heartstrings that Bind: Mortal Coil.

[ehemlock]

Amazon.com: To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus: 9798242772885: Burnham, E.: Books

We're officially live for book 2!!!

[ehemlock]

To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus releases tomorrow, February 27th, 2026! These characters live rent-free in my head, so I thought I'd spend the days leading up to launch day introducing you to a few. (It's the least they can do, lousy free-loaders.) Meet Morgana and Alec, Annabel's daytime classmates over at Oleander Academy. Morgana has been Annabel's best friend since they started attending the school, and is quite popular among her classmates. Alec, however, is a bit too rough and tumble, often confusing what he believes to be normal schoolyard play with bullying, much to Aleister's anger. When Alec's bullying is taken too far, Aleister intervenes, causing Alec and Morgana to plan an active ghost hunt inside the school. Unfortunately, this means Annabel is pulled along for the ride. Meet them and the other daytime students at Oleander Academy in To Teach the Dead, and in To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus, launching tomorrow!!!

[scarecloud69]

the real reason why I drew those icons (use them freely but tag me pls)

Part 2

[discworld-heritage-posts]

Discworld Heritage Post

[ehemlock]

To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus releases in 2 days, February 27th, 2026! These characters live rent-free in my head, so I thought I'd spend the days leading up to launch day introducing you to a few. (It's the least they can do, lousy free-loaders.) Meet Usher Willows, Infirmary Nurse to the daytime classes, and one of the specialists that assist the Night Classes of Oleander Academy. As Lenore's older brother, you might think that she'd enjoy having a familiar face around the premise, but that is most definitely NOT the case. These siblings don't tend to get along, and not even medical necessity may prove enough to fix that! Usher's stern demeanor covers up a truly caring individual who works tirelessly to ensure that his fellow Night Class Teachers are at their absolute best (crippling caffeine addictions aside). He's blunt, sarcastic to a fault, but extremely perceptive when it counts (including when a certain science teacher keeps stealing lollipops out of his office). Meet him and the other Night Class Staff at Oleander Academy in To Teach the Dead, and in To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus, coming soon!

To Teach the Dead book by Erica K Burnham

Buy a cheap copy of To Teach the Dead book by Erica K Burnham. When Annabel's favorite teacher abruptly passes, she is understandably devast

[ehemlock]

To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus releases in 3 days, February 27th, 2026! These characters live rent-free in my head, so I thought I'd spend the days leading up to launch day introducing you to a few. (It's the least they can do, lousy free-loaders.) Meet Vira Butio, one of the Night Class teachers and also chief engineer for the organization that lurks inside the Board of Directors. Science is her specialty in both regards, as is a penchant to make things explode that have absolutely no business exploding in the first place! Like her lunch. In spite of her explosive tendencies, Vira is always a cheerful sight, quick with a kind word, and always the first to see the bright side of things, even if that happens to be through the hole in the school's ceiling (how did that get there?). Meet her (from a safe distance) and the other Night Class Teachers at Oleander Academy in To Teach the Dead, and in To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus, coming soon!

To Teach the Dead

Visit Amazon's To Teach the Dead Page and shop for all To Teach the Dead books. Check out pictures, author information, and reviews of To Te

[ehemlock]

To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus releases in 4 days, February 27th, 2026! These characters live rent-free in my head, so I thought I'd spend the days leading up to launch day introducing you to a few. (It's the least they can do, lousy free-loaders.) Meet Vorago, the head of the Night Classes, and the titular Director inside the Board of Directors. Very few know the name behind the Latin pseudonym, and most everyone, including staff and students alike simply refer to him as The Director. Many whispered rumors abound surrounding this mysterious figure, including his alleged ability to see through Nevermore's eyes in order to keep a close eye on events taking place within his schools. It has also been said that if he gets angry, the temperature inside that room will plummet, and that he may also wield an uncanny ability to read your thoughts at a whim. See for yourself what is rumor versus fact as you meet him in To Teach the Dead, and in To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus, coming soon!

[ehemlock]

To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus releases in 5 days, February 27th, 2026! These characters live rent-free in my head, so I thought I'd spend the days leading up to launch day introducing you to a few. (It's the least they can do, lousy free-loaders.) Meet Nevermore, one of the most notable faces inside the Board of Directors. Much believed to be the Director's pet, Nevermore is more or less his own bird, and often is a great aid in delivering letters to the Academy teachers. He has been known to eavesdrop from time to time, and it is often suspected that the Director gains the bulk of his information through Nevermore's aid and incessant gossiping. How he even learned to communicate with the bird is unknown, but wherever Nevermore is, you can be certain that the Director is sure to follow. Nevermore also has some unusual eating habits, including packets of crisps as well as Eucharist wafers too, yummy! Meet him in To Teach the Dead, and in To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus, coming soon!

[ehemlock]

To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus releases in 6 days, February 27th, 2026! These characters live rent-free in my head, so I thought I'd spend the days leading up to launch day introducing you to a few. (It's the least they can do, lousy free-loaders.) Meet Elias Salinger, one of the Night Class teachers at Oleander Academy. He's a Pisces, his favorite color is green, and when he isn't working to assist in the Night Classes, he is often found helping the daytime students in the art room. This does leave him with quite a lot of paint stains and various other art media smudges, but when it comes to cheerfulness, these only add to his shining character. Bright even in the nighttime, Elias is ever eager to assist, even when Lenore's pride doesn't allow it. He's definitely the golden retriever energy beside her black cat independence! There is a lot more than meets the eye with Elias, and he has a tendency to see more than he lets on. Meet him and his fellow Night Class teachers in To Teach the Dead, and in To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus, coming soon!

[ehemlock]

To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus releases in 7days, February 27th, 2026! That's one week left, people! These characters live rent-free in my head, so I thought I'd spend the days leading up to launch day introducing you to a few. Meet Annabel, one of the regular students at Oleander Academy. She stumbled upon the Night Classes one night after being bullied into a ghost stake-out, and her life has never been the same since! Still, she's determined to do her best inside both classes, even if it does leave her just about napping in her lunch tray. She's bright, studious, and more than happy to stand up to Aleister's stubborn attitude. Meet her, and the other Oleander Academy students in To Teach the Dead, and in To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus, coming soon!

[ehemlock]

To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus releases in 8 days, February 27th, 2026! These characters live rent-free in my head, so I thought I'd spend the days leading up to launch day introducing you to a few. Yep, it's time to talk villains. Meet Dantalion, one of the antagonists going up against the classes over at Oleander Academy. Straight out of the Goetia and into the nightmares of many a Night Class Teacher, Dantalion is not going to go easy on any who try to get in his way. He was wronged once by a powerful foe, and will stop at nothing to turn the tables and find the individual responsible. To this end, he has many tricks at his disposal, and a myriad of disguises to keep people guessing. And if he has to sacrifice a lower pawn to maintain his position on the board, then so be it! Crafty, conniving, not above playing dirty... evil has never looked quite so good! Meet him, and other Maleficus in To Teach the Dead, and in To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus, coming soon!

[ehemlock]

To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus releases in 8 days, February 27th, 2026! These characters live rent-free in my head, so I thought I'd spend the days leading up to launch day introducing you to a few. Meet Silere, the Librarian of Oleander Academy and loyal friend to the Night Classes. They are quite kind, vigilant and an ever calming presence when the anxiety of the Night Class becomes too great. This peace may or may not also stem from their habit of incense in the office, and the scent of frankincense and myrrh always follows in their wake. They have a habit of roaming the rows of shelves inside the library, and more than a few readers have been startled to suddenly find them standing at their shoulder, looking for all the world as thought they've been there the whole time. This has given rise to the thought of putting a bell around their neck, yet no one has yet been brave enough to attempt it. Likely for the best. Meet them, and the other staff for the Night Class in To Teach the Dead, and in To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus, coming soon!

[ehemlock]

To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus releases in 9 days, February 27th, 2026! These characters live rent-free in my head, so I thought I'd spend the days leading up to launch day introducing you to a few. Meet Lenore Willows, one of the Night Class teachers at Oleander Academy. She works hard to keep her students safe, both during the evening and the day when she teaches regular classes. All the back in forth means that she tends to have more caffeine than blood in her system at any given time! No days off here, I'm afraid. This is one employment situation that really puts the 'dead' in 'dead-end'. Not that she'd even ask for help anyway. Will her stubborn pride be the death of her, or will that dubious honor go to one of the many creatures prowling the night? The jury is still out on that, though one certainty is that she'll go down swinging. Meet her and her fellow Night Class teachers in To Teach the Dead, and in To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus, coming soon!

[ehemlock]

To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus releases in 9 days, February 27th, 2026! These characters live rent-free in my head, so I thought I'd spend the days leading up to launch day introducing you to a few. Meet Aleister Graham. He's one of the students of Oleander Academy's Night Class, having passed in one of Victorian England's infamous workhouses. His coal-smattered appearance may be permanent, but his usual scowl is only of a semi-permanent nature. Once you dig past the surface, and gain a better understanding of his particular vernacular, you'll find that Aleister is a loyal friend who will not put up with bullies, nor for anything that he believes to be pulling a fast one on kids, including ice-cream shops with misleading slogans. 40 flavors? Hah! Not counting chocolate and vanilla mix-ins, you've got maybe 18 at best! Meet him and his fellow Night Class students in To Teach the Dead, and in To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus, coming soon! https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/to-teach-the-dead/55640984/?resultid=ee876528-f9f5-4edc-91f9-d7f33b4aa125#edition=73409821&idiq=85026314

[ehemlock]

First copies of Book 2 have officially come in! To Teach the Dead: Mark of the Maleficus picks up right where book 1 left off, following the organization as they work to orient to their new positions. Meanwhile, an unforeseen threat is walking the halls beside them, and is willing to play dirty in order to achieve their own goals. I am really excited to get this out into the world, and book 3 is already in the works! If you enjoy paranormal fantasy, ghost hunting satire, sassy Victorian ghosts, coffee versus tea debates, hot demons, and the tag-team of golden retriever and black cat personalities, this is definitely a series for you! Book 1 is available online and in person, and Book 2 is launching alongside it starting February 27th!

[marxistgnome]

Vetinari: everything I do is a carefully calculated move to keep the city running efficiently

also Vetinari: Yo drumknott I sent Vimes to uberwald this is going to be so fucking funny

[thestuffedalligator]

To be fair, you can’t carefully calculate Vimes. Vimes is a shotgun solution that you point in the general direction of a problem, and he’ll solve the problem and anything in the blast radius of that problem

The upshot of this is that he winds up getting way more done than you were expecting - “Ah, Commander. Back in one piece, I see. How did the coronation go?”

“The Low King has publicly advocated for the rights of trolls and female dwarfs, the guards of Bonk have restructured into a proper watch force, the power of the werewolf clans has been divided, and we have an excellent trade deal on fat with Uberwald.”

“…Commander?”

“Sir?”

“What the fuck”

[datsderbunnyblog]

That’s an interesting one, the parallels between Detritus’s crossbow and Vimes himself are not something I’d ever have considered otherwise. The Piecemaker/Keeper Of Thee Kinge’s Piece. Both known for leaving holes in walls.

And, most importantly, it’s Vimes who sets the boundaries on when Detritus is allowed to use the crossbow, and the same goes for his own anger. He takes responsibility for both, because he won’t allow collateral damage. I’m not sure where I’m going with this train of thought but it’s just something to think about.

[persephonbee]

Vimes has canonically forbidden Detritus from using the Piecemaker on people (and presumably also dwarves, trolls, etc). That means it’s a weapon against property, which often translates to being a weapon against power.

Sound familiar to anyone?

[whetstonefires]

i’m fairly certain the utterance ‘people and also dwarves and trolls’ would get you into some serious hot water in the late-game Ankh Morpork City Watch

[discworld-heritage-posts]

Discworld Heritage Post